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(No Model.) l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. A. DIGKSON.

PEAT MACHINE.

Patented May 5 @9Min-eo@ c o (No Model.) l 2 sheets-sheen 2. A. A. DICKSON.

PRAT MACHINE.

No. 451,463. PatentedMay 5, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

ARCHIBALD A. DIOKSON, OF 4COTE ST. ANTOINE, CANADA.

PEM-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,463, dated- May 5, 1891.

Application filed February 25, 1889. Serial No. 301,097. (No model.)

To all whoml t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD ANDERSON DICKSON, manufacturer, of Cte St. Antoine, in the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Peat Fuel and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine.

This invention embraces means whereby the peat, after passing `through pressing-rollers so as to expel a certain proportion of the moisture contained in it, (as described in a previous application iiled by me under Serial No. 294,557) is dried by being taken on a carrier through a heated chamber and by being while therein exposed to a current of air, and further means whereby on leaving` the carrier it is forced into the pressing appaia tus, in which it is formed into blocks.

For a full comprehension of the invention reference must be had to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal section of a scow carrying my apparatus, which is, when on land, mounted on a platform; Fig. 2, a plan view. of same with upper deck partly removed to show apparatus; Fig. 3, alongitudinal vertical section of inclosed carrier; Fig. 4, a cross-section of same on line X X, Fig. 3; Fig. 5, an end view of casing, showing air Valves or dampers; Figs. G and 7, respectively, longitudinal and transverse vertical sections of exit end of heating-chamber and press-hopper, showing automatic cut-off; Fig. S, a longitudinal section of spouts of heatingchamber; and Fig. 9 an end of pressAtube, showing means for securing expansion and contraction of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

Ais the scow; B, the excavating-screw; A', the upper deck, and C the elevators for conveying the peat from the screw to the hopper C', which directs it upon the stick-'catching mechanism D.

E is the belt or carrier for the peat from this point to the hopper F, beneath which is situated a pair of rubber-faced rollers G G, by which a certain proportion of the moisture is pressed out. Up to this point the mechanism employed is substantially the same as in my said former application; but

between here and the press the peat is subjected to the action of heat and dried while passing over a long belt or carrier H, snrrounded by a casing connected at the receiving end with a pipe J, leading from any suitable hot-air source and arranged to convey the peat as it issues from the rollers in a continuous sheet to the hopper of the forming mechanism. The hot air maybe obtained through a pipe passed through the {ire-box of the boiler-furnace J in any form. The casing at the delivery end of this belt has connected to it the end of a draf'opipe M, communicating with a suction-fan N, a perforated diaphragm O being situated at the point of junction, as shown in Fig. S, to prevent the peat being drawn into the pipe, it being required to fall through the spout P, projecting from the under side of the casing into the hopper Q of the press.

The object oi' the attachment of the suction-fan is to create a current of air which can be varied in degrees of velocity and temperature by increasing or diminishing the revolutions of the fan and the closing or opening of air-valve T, governed by a slide T', as shown in Fig. 5,working in conjunction with the hot-air blast from pipe J, these being arranged at a suitable point in the casing.

In the hopper Q is set an Archiniedean screw R for securing the steady and regular feed from the spout P to the pressing mechanism, to be presently described. This screw is carried vertically and receives motion by means of gears and shat'ting from any going part of the machinery.

The mechanism for compressing the peat into blocks consists of a horizontal cylinderD K, with a central tube K extending longitudinally through and beyond one end of it, into which the screw R directs the peat vertically. A steam-jacket K2, formed by cylin- I der K, as shown in Fig. 6,surrounds this tube K', and a plunger or piston S, operated by suitable shafting and connections S', works in the end of the tube nearest which the pper is situated. The projecting portion 7c of the tube K is slitted or divided into two halves longitudinally and provided with eyes and screw-bolts, as indicated at K5, Fig. G, wherebyit maybe expanded or contracted at IOO any time, or in the case of a blockage of peat occurring it can be freed easily by blows of the plunger' after the tube is expanded.

A resistance-block, as indicated b y dotted lines, may be located in the tube before the machine is started near enough to the opening of Q to furnish the required yielding resistance when the plunger acts on the body of peat to form the block. The retreat of thc plunger allows another body of peat to be forced into place, and as these are successively acted upon they are of course driven forward until the blocks of peat begin and continue to fall from it ready for the market. The bearings of the screw R are such as to allow it to yield to the pressure of any extra quantity of peat, and its action may be so regulated as to be coruiinuous orintermittent and synchronous with the backward movement of the piston S.

To provide against any damage to the feeding mechanism, should the peat become blocked at all at the point of entering the press, the screw R is free to rise in its bearings, and byso doing operate cutoff mechanism which will serve to stop the'peat issuing from spout l and direct it through another spoilt P in communication with any convenA ient receptacle. This eut-off mechanism consists of a pivoted double valve formed of two gates U U set at right angles to cach other on a spindle carried transversely at the exit end of the heatingehamber, so that the gates will alternately open and close either spout upon the rotation of the spindle.

The normal position of the gates is that shown in Fig. S, the spout P open for the descent of the peat, and in the event of the screw R rising in its bearings the gear R2 on its spindle end R will rise with it, and the end of arm V', projecting from spindle V and connected with this gear through a slotted upright Y, will be operated to rotate the spindle and with it gate U to close spout Il. The

slotted upright Y is used in order to securea positive up-and-downl. e., to push the arm up and pull it down-action, and as the gear is always revolving by any suitable mechanism of ordinary construction, but not shown, the lower end of the upright is provided with a collar to fit a corresponding recess in the top of the gear and secured thereto by a cap, thus allowing the gear to revolve and the upright to remain stationary. A guide lV projecting from the side of the chamber is provided for the upper extremity of the upright.

'lhe drying of the peat while on the belt II can be further regulated by varyin the speed at which this will travel. rlhe means used for this purpose and the arrangement of shafting, belts, and pulleys, &c., for the distribution of power from the engine L for the operation of the several parts on the seow, requires no special allusion, as it calls only for the ordinary knowledge ofthe machinist.

\Vhat I claim is as follows:

l. In a peat-maehne, a conveycr for the material, a tube closely confining the same, a heating device communicating with one end of the tube, and an air-draft communicating with the other end, whereby the heated air is drawn from end to end of the tube, substan tially as described.

2. In an apparatus for converting peat into fuel, a press for forming blocks, consisting of a cylinder having a plunger working therein, means for feeding the peat to the cylinder, a tube through which the peat is forced, and a resistance-block fitted to the tube, all substantially as described.

In combination, the main feed-tubc, thc spout P, thc supplemental spout l, both spouts having con'nnunication with the main tube, the gate for operating at the openings of the spouts into the main feed-tube, and the means acted upon by the material for operating said gate, substantially as described.

lllontreal, February 13, LISSS).

A. A. DICKSON.

Witnesses:

Wn. l). Mclina'r, Faim. J. Sums. 

